Australia is an independent and outward-looking nation actively involved in international affairs. Australia has close links with North America and Europe and is closely engaged in Asia and the Pacific.

Australia is a stable, democratic society with a skilled workforce and a strong, competitive economy - real gross domestic product (GDP) has grown by an annual average of 3.2 per cent over the past decade. Australia’s prosperity is based in large part on international trade and investment. One in five Australian jobs depends on trade.

Australia’s cultural diversity, record of constructive international engagement, strong political institutions and liberal democratic values inform its involvement in world affairs.